In Memoriam: Cathie St. John-Ritzen

We regret to inform you of the death of Cathie St. John-Ritzen on November 7, 2013. She died as the result of a head injury due to a fall. The following obituary was sent to the Bar on Monday:

PLEASE NOTE: THE TIME FOR THE SERVICE HAS BEEN CHANGED TO 2 p.m.

Cathie St. John‐Ritzen, who passed away on Thursday November 7, represented clients in Elder Law and Estate matters for over 12 years. She was a 1998 graduate of the University of Missouri‐Columbia School of Law. After moving to Asheville in 1999 she passed the North Carolina Bar Exam and opened her practice in in the BB&T Building.

Prior to becoming a lawyer she was a registered nurse in Missouri, a profession at which she excelled for nearly 20 years. In 1984 back problems made her physically unable continue her nursing career. She worked as a nurse consultant for a Springfield, Missouri law firm and pursued a graduate degree in English literature before entering law school at Missouri, where her husband Jim was a member of the faculty. Even after she became a lawyer Cathie remained a nurse at heart, and she was devoted to her practice and her clients because she knew that the law, like nursing, is a helping profession in which a caring individual can make a positive difference in the lives of ordinary people.

Cathie was a sports fan and despite the demands of her ever growing practice, she and Jim faithfully followed the fortunes of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Missouri Tigers, as well as the Carolina Panthers and Tarheel Basketball and football.

A memorial service will be held On Saturday, November 23, at 2:00 p.m at Jubilee Community Church on Wall Street.

Sympathy cards may be addressed to Jim Ritzen and sent to 79 Olney Drive, Asheville, NC 28806.